Confessions in Ice
by Koenma's Dark Dragons
Summary: Kurama is injured while getting a dangerous object from Yomi. Now the only person who can keep him alive is Yukina. And what she discovers at his bedside will change both their lives. Written by FireStorm1991 and Just 2 Dream of You. Reposted on joint account.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We don't own YYH or the characters.

**Written by: FireStorm1991 and Just 2 Dream of You**

**A/N: We are uploading this to our new joint account. 1&2 have been combined as well as 3&4. Thanks~**

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Confessions in Ice

Chapter One

Kurama was waiting for Koenma in his office in Spirit World. The prince had called him in for a special mission. He hadn't even called for Yusuke and Kuwabara to help, which was surprising, and he hadn't called Hiei either - but Kurama could understand that - Hiei wasn't easily found for missions. But this situation made Kurama wonder, what kind of mission could it be?

When he entered Koenma's office, he was surprised to find it empty. Just then, Koenma raced in to the room out of breath, causing Kurama to sweat-drop.

"Kurama, you're here!" Koenma said in shock. "Well, it's good to see you're on time."

Kurama smiled faintly. "What's all of this about, Koenma? And why aren't you bringing Yusuke or Kuwabara in on this?"

"Because I'm not asking for your help as a spirit detective," Koenma revealed to him. "I need your help as Youko Kurama."

Kurama was a little shocked by the revelation. He hadn't gone on a raid in a very long time, and he had already decided to give up on his past as Youko Kurama after the Demon World Tournament. So why would Spirit World be asking him to steal anything? "What are you trying to get a hold of?"

Koenma sighed and sat down at his desk. "Have you ever heard of the item, Reality of Change?"

Kurama's eyebrow's twitched slightly and he paused in thought. Yes, he had heard of it and it was very dangerous. "Yes...I have. If I am to understand correctly, it is an item that will transport you to an alternate reality?" Such things couldn't be real, but he'd heard the rumors all the same. And now that Koenma was talking about it, it had to be real.

Koenma nodded. "Yes. It is quite a problem. We've received intelligence that it's in the hands of a very powerful demon lord, and that isn't good at all. We believe this demon intends to cause trouble with it."

Kurama approached the prince's desk. "What kind of trouble?"

"With the Reality of Change, he can transport himself to any reality and do as he pleases. Now, I know that the things he does in _other_ realities won't affect _us_ but it's still horrible! I may not be in charge of those realities, but what kind of ruler would I be if I just sat back and allowed this to happen? It's like watching a crime and walking away."

Kurama nodded in thought. Koenma was right. For humans and demons alike, their greatest flaw was not caring what happened to other people so long as it didn't hurt them personally. This lord was obviously wanting to do things in other universes that he couldn't do here. "How can you be sure he intends it for evil purposes?" Kurama asked. "Is it just because he's a demon?"

It went silent for a while and Koenma shut his eyes. "He's an S class and has a lot of power and influence...he has this item. What do _you_ think?"

Kurama sighed. He had a point. But then it dawned on him; an S class with influence...and Koenma was asking _him_ for this mission. "Koenma, why have you chosen me for this? I don't think it's just because of my past. What is the name of this lord?"

Koenma sighed heavily. "Okay, you caught me, Kurama. It's..." He paused and the room went cold. "Yomi."

Kurama inhaled and closed his eyes. He hadn't changed at all. He was still trying to be king and was going to do _anything_ to get it. He let out the breath he was holding and composed himself. "I assume he still wants to be supreme ruler of Demon World and this is how he plans to do it?" Koenma simply nodded, so Kurama continued. "Then he would have to choose a reality where Yusuke lost and he had won all the fights at the tournament."

"Believe me, he will find that reality. Anything that can happen _does_ in alternate realities. That situation has occurred." Koenma messed with some papers on his desk. "So, you see that we can't allow that. He could put a poor, unsuspecting reality in chaos. It isn't right."

Kurama narrowed his eyes. "No, it isn't. I will stop him, Koenma. I guarantee you that." He looked down. '_And I will put a stop to him permanently._..' his thoughts added.

* * *

After his meeting with Koenma, Kurama returned to his home to start packing for the journey. A journey in Demon World would be long, and being prepared was the most important thing. While he was busy packing, his mother stuck her head into his room.

"Oh, Shuichi, are you going on a trip with your friends?" Shiori asked.

"Yes, mother," Kurama replied, flashing her a smile. "It was a last minute trip."

Shiori chuckled and shook her head. "They always are. Well, in that case, I'll get started on dinner so that you can leave with a full stomach."

"Thank you, mother."

Kurama watched her leave the room and couldn't help but reflect on everything going on. He just couldn't believe that Yomi would try something like this for power. Sure, they both wanted to be in control of Demon World at one time or another - Kurama, after living part of his life in Human World, lost that desire. Maybe that was the difference between him and Yomi, although he thought Yomi, for the most part, had changed at least a little bit. He did remember Yomi telling him that he and his son would be training for the next tournament.

Kurama gasped when he thought of that...his son. There was no way that Yomi would abandon his son for power, was there? He couldn't have been as cold-hearted as they both were.

"Shuichi?"

Kurama jumped and looked to his bedroom doorway. He saw his step-brother gaping at him. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Shuuichi asked. "You looked very serious right now."

"I'm fine," Kurama replied. "Just thinking. Hey, why don't you go down and help mother in the kitchen? I'll be right down."

Shuuichi smiled at him. "Okay, bro. See you in a bit."

Kurama watched as his little brother went downstairs. Seeing him now didn't help the situation. It only reminded him of how Yomi threatened his parents and brother to force him to do his bidding. Yes, Yomi would definitely being willing to leave his son for power.

Perhaps he was thinking that Shura would be in any reality he chose, so it didn't matter. Kurama frowned at that. A replacement was _not_ the real thing; Yomi _should_ know that. He sighed heavily and finished packing his bag. All he needed to survive was in there, as well as several weapons hidden in places. If he had to, he _would_ fight Yomi. Though, that would require changing into Youko...and he was sure he wouldn't have to do that ever again in his life.

Another reason to be angry at his former _friend._

* * *

It had been a while since Kurama had visited the outskirts of Yomi's domain. The last time he was coming as requested by Yomi. This time, he was going against his old partner in the name of Spirit World. The only problem was Yomi's ability to hear everything once in the kingdom. He was going to have to be very careful if he wanted to get into Yomi's fortress undetected, if that was even possible. If Yomi did hear him, then he would deal with the confrontation just like any other. He would not let Yomi endanger any humans, alternate reality or not.

The problem was not just getting into Yomi's domain, but dealing with his soldiers. Yomi would probably know that he was there, but his soldiers didn't need to know. Kurama slid down the side of the cliff and then used his whip to grab hold of a tree branch before he hit the ground. If anything, Yomi could think the sound was a small rock slide.

Kurama waited patiently until a gust of wind blew before he jumped into another tree. He did that for about an hour until he was at Yomi's fortress. He was able to scale the building and enter through a window cut out into the stone. When he finally allowed his foot to touch the ground, he knew that Yomi would be there in seconds.

He decided to make use of his time in Yomi's personal office. He searched files for information regarding the Reality of Change. As he predicted, he found nothing. He would have to wait to confront Yomi himself. When he heard the door open he knew the confrontation would be happening sooner rather than later.

"Why am I not surprised?" His low voice spoke, calm as usual.

Kurama straightened up and turned around, looking Yomi straight in the face. Even though he knew he couldn't see him, he shot him a glare. "Why am_ I_ not?" Kurama bit back, words laced with venom. "I know exactly what you're trying to do and it won't work."

"And what is it that you think I'm trying to do?" He asked, coming forward. Kurama prepared to defend himself and Yomi chuckled. "This isn't an attack, old friend."

"I stopped being any friend of yours long ago."

Yomi made a "tsk" noise and shut the office door. "How disappointing."

It went silent and Yomi moved again, over to his window. He couldn't look outside, but seemed to be entranced by something. "Don't you care what you're doing?" Kurama finally asked, shattering the silence. Yomi said nothing. "And what about your son? Are you really prepared to leave him?"

Yomi "looked" down. "My son is a disappointment too. He hasn't grown as a fighter in these easy years and it's quite...disheartening." Kurama frowned and Yomi continued. "I have chosen a reality where everything has fallen into place. A place where I may rule and fix the problems with this world. A place where my son isn't weak."

"A place where Yusuke and Mukuro can't stop you," Kurama stated.

"A place where none of you can stop me."

Kurama gripped his hidden rose whip and said, "I cannot let you do that, Yomi, not just because it will cause problems in another world, but because that is the coward's way to deal with a problem. You are being rash, yet again. Apparently, you didn't change that much."

Yomi frowned at the jabs Kurama was making. Yes, he knew it wasn't the ideal way to become the supreme ruler over Demon World, but he didn't make the decision overnight. He wasn't being rash, in his mind. He was doing what was best for him. "You got the chance to choose the life you wanted," Yomi stated. "Why can't I?"

Kurama lowered his whip for a moment. He hadn't thought about it like that before, but he still didn't want to allow another universe to fall victim to Yomi's desires of "unification." He couldn't allow him to go into a world where no one would be able to stop him or where demons could go into Human World and harm his family. It couldn't happen like that.

"My decision won't destroy the lives of many," Kurama replied calmly. "If you have your way, Demon World will still be at odds with Spirit World, the Kekkai Barrier will still be up, and demons will still attack humans. How can I sit back and let that happen? How could I let you create a world where my family is in danger and my friends' lives are at risk?"

"As if that hasn't happened before," Yomi retorted, bringing up the time Kurama sent a hit man after him. "You sat back and let me get attacked by an assassin you paid off."

"So you are doing this to get back at me for my past sins?" Kurama questioned.

Yomi chuckled in amusement. "Don't be so vain, Kurama. I'm doing this because I want a different life for myself, a chance to start over. You of all people should understand that. Yes, I'm doing it a different way. It will be easy for me to become Demon World's sole ruler and I will unify all demons, but I will set laws. Demons will still be allowed to feed on humans, but not in Human World, only the ones that enter our realm. Demons feed on humans. It's how it should be, Kurama. You know I've always felt that way."

Kurama shook his head in frustration. He did know of Yomi's views. He himself never fed on humans, but he too felt, at one time, that demons should be able to feed on whatever they wanted. His view changed as he was raised in the human realm with a human mother he cared about. Kurama no longer believed that demons should feed on humans, especially now that the two worlds were integrated.

"Not everyone feels the way you do, Yomi," Kurama said with a sigh. "Even in another dimension, no one, not even I, will ever agree with you."

Yomi glared at Kurama and took out an object, the Reality of Change. "It disappoints me that you feel that way, old friend. You used to have similar beliefs to me. It makes me wonder; how would you be if you had never been killed and never escaped to the Human World?"

"I do not believe in reliving the past, Yomi," Kurama stated, turning to face his old partner. "You of all people should know that."

Yomi chuckled, holding the object almost lovingly in his hand. "I don't believe you would be so high and mighty if you knew the truth."

"And what truth would that be?" Kurama prepared himself, for he could sense that an attack was imminent.

Yomi held up the Reality of Change. It was small, perhaps five inches in length, and two inches wide, shaped like a short rod. It was royal blue with brown writings etched on it. Kurama expected it to be more mystical than it appeared, but it was very plain.

"Did you know that when it sends someone, they can't come back? The object does not travel with you. Therefore, I have not been able to test whether it works, other than sending someone and having them disappear. When I choose to leave, my reality will have to be woven perfectly in my head."

"No one can achieve perfection," Kurama stated blankly. "Believing that is often the state of a delusional mind."

Yomi continued unperturbed. "All you have to do is think of what you want, and it'll send you there. Imagine, Kurama - I could think of a reality where we are both women." Kurama frowned at his lame attempt of humor. Yomi shook his head and took a step forward. "But I think I've thought of a better one..." Kurama knew what was coming. He pulled out the whip and got in stance. "I think you need to see your true self. What would have happened if you had not been tainted by humans. You need to see you are no better than me."

And then he disappeared.

Kurama braced himself and brought the whip out to defend as Yomi's fist came crashing to the ground, splintering the floor, bits of marble flying all over. Kurama jumped and thrust the whip forward, only to have it pass through an after-image. Yomi hadn't shown such speed with Yusuke! He wondered why and thought perhaps Yomi had been training for that in recent years.

Kurama gasped as another hit was swung at him, the wall crumbling behind him. Before he could react, an energy blast was headed straight for him, and he had no choice but to block. The ball of energy hit him dead on and propelled him out the window, shards of glass exploding all around. Kurama shouted as he fell down, preparing to hit the ground. A sore spinal-cord is not what he had in mind, but there was nothing he could do as Yomi's energy was pounding down on him. He could see the ground get near and Yomi appeared in front of him. A small beep sounded and he smiled. "Farewell, old friend." Yomi threw the Reality of Change at him, the object touching his leg.

Kurama hit the ground, his back cracking and popping from the force and slid backwards, his head hitting a tree. "Unh!" He was motionless for a minute and sighed, catching his breath. What was odd, was that Yomi's energy was nowhere no be found. It had disappeared seconds before he hit. He sat up and let his eyes focus on the surroundings.

He was in Demon World, no doubt, but the forest looked nothing like it did when he arrived. The trees were dead and the smell of blood was all around. In the distance he could hear screams of agony and howls of hunger.

His eyes trailed down to his pants and he gasped. His pants were white, as well as the rest of his outfit. "No..." And his voice was lower. His hands reached up and felt ears on the top of his head. Long white hair stretched down his back, and a tail beneath him. "Damn you, Yomi..."

He was Youko Kurama, and if he were to guess correctly; he was in a different reality.

Yomi chuckled and bounced his new beloved toy in his hand. "That's one problem gone. Now for the others that I know Koenma will send..."

**~To Be Continued**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: We don't own YYH or the characters.

**Written by: FireStorm1991 and Just 2 Dream of You**

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Confessions in Ice

Chapter Two

Kurama couldn't believe that Yomi would stoop so low as to send him to an alternate dimension just to avoid having to fight him. It was an act of cowardice, not that Kurama wasn't impressed that he had thought of it. He still couldn't get past the fact that he was in his demon form in the middle of Demon World, though. Just where had Yomi sent him?

Well, the only way he could find out was to familiarize himself with the landscape. He knew he would have to lie low since, wherever he was, he was still bound to be recognized as the legendary thief. Being spotted would definitely cause problems for him.

So he began his trek through the forest recognizing he was in Gandara, Yomi's old territory. He heard the cries of victims in the night, screaming as something tore into them to feast and realized that it seemed more violent than he remembered. Like nothing at all had changed.

Ever since Yusuke, apparitions had become, so to speak, more civilized, throwing away acts of random violence and murder. But now blood drenched the air and it was becoming more and more apparent that these creatures here were not like that.

He continued on, soon hearing voices and stopped behind a large tree to watch. Two demons stood, one large and foreboding while the other tiny and insignificant. Quite the pair. He let his ears pick up the conversation and soon heard his name. Well, his _old_ name, that is.

"I heard that Youko was there last night," the large one commented.

"Really? What did he do this time?" the little one squeaked and looked around, paranoid.

"He killed them all - no mercy. Even the children. The women were found torn apart with thorns all over them and the men were even worse. And what's worse; all he was after was a necklace. Some ancient thing."

Kurama gasped. They couldn't be talking about him...could they...?

"_I think you need to see your true self. What would have happened if you had not been tainted by humans. You need to see you are no better than me."_ Yomi's words echoed in his head and he swallowed.

The two demons heard his gasp and turned to see Youko standing behind them. They screamed and fell back on their tails, backing into the building behind them.

"O-oh, Youko, we didn't know you were standing there," the bigger one said nervously. "Um, we don't really have anything for you. We're just poor demons-"

"Please don't hurt us," the other one begged, interrupting his friend's lame attempt at salvation. "We didn't mean anything; I swear. Please, we'll do anything."

"But I'm not-" Kurama started to say, but he couldn't finish his statement. It was obvious; in this world he was a cruel, cold-hearted demon. He had prided himself in not becoming like that, but now he didn't know what to think. Had his mother really had that much of an effect on him? Had he truly been evil when he entered her womb?

Kurama, rational as he always was, couldn't bear listen to the demons groveling at his feet. Instead, he let his emotions shine through and ran away from the truth of what he was in this world; a murderer.

He didn't know where else to go, so he decided to find his old hideout. He was certain that his men would still be there. It was difficult to find having not been there for the longest time, but eventually he managed and was disturbed at what he saw. Blood was everywhere; bodies of his former men were decaying, some stabbed through with plants, others straggled by vines around their neck. Kurama backed away as slowly as he could, horrified that he could have done anything so terrible to his own team, his comrades.

This couldn't be true! This was a different dimension so it wasn't his own doing. This wasn't him. It wasn't him. He had to find a way back home. The only thing he could think of was finding the Reality of Change here, if there was one.

He could only hope there was.

* * *

What exactly did he have to eat this afternoon? Fish? And it was mixed with some sort of spice that was curling the hairs in his nostrils mixed with the stench that could gag a skunk off a gut wagon. Whatever it was, the prince secretly hoped that this wasn't the sort of food he served at his ramen stand. Be that as it may, he had more pressing issues as the ex-detective's hand was around his collar, threatening death with his rancid breath, screaming in his face, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN KURAMA'S MISSING?!"

"If you would let me explain, Yusuke..."

"Yusuke, please..." Botan eased, pulling the stinky teen away from the ruler of Spirit World.

Koenma cleared his throat. "As I was trying to say before you tried to kill me with your poor hygiene…" Yusuke raised an eyebrow, "I said that Kurama was sent to get a very important item from Yomi."

"No, you said he was missing! That you couldn't trace his energy anymore. And lemme guess, I gotta kick Yomi's ass now. And what did you mean 'poor hygiene'?"

Koenma sighed and rubbed his temples. "Never mind that now, Yusuke. What I said was that I sent Kurama to get an artifact from Yomi. Yomi must have used it on Kurama. It's called the Reality of Change, and it can send individuals into other dimensions, though it only works one way."

Yusuke's expression did not get any better. "So, not only is Kurama missing, because we obviously don't know what dimension he went to, he's trapped there?!" The ex-detective shouted.

"Well, no, not trapped exactly," Koenma said causally. "If he was sent to a dimension where the Reality of Change still exists, then he can get it and come back."

"And if he was sent somewhere WITHOUT it?" Yusuke stressed.

"Um…then he's trapped there," Koenma finished nervously.

Yusuke grew eerily calm making Koenma and Botan even more nervous. "You sent my teammate and friend to take back something Spirit World lost track of knowing he could be sent somewhere where he can't come back, and then you expect me to be okay with this? You're even stupider than I gave you credit for. This is a new low, even for you. Don't even bother giving me any orders. I'll go retrieve that stupid reality mirror thing with Hiei and Kuwabara, and we will be doing it on our own terms, NOT Spirit World's." Without another word from anyone, Yusuke stormed out of Koenma's office and went off to find his friends.

Botan followed him as he whipped out his cell-phone and dialed.

'Uh, hello?'

"Kuwabara, get to my house. NOW."

'But - '

"NOW!" He hung up and turned to Botan. "Take me to Alaric."

The reaper fidgeted. "Mukuro's territory? Oh, but, Yusuke - "

"If not you then maybe I'll force some other girl to do it. How about that one who's always kissing Koenma's ass?"

Botan sighed. "Oh, alright..." She made a portal to Alaric and soon Mukuro's moving fortress became visible. She flew them both down to it and Yusuke entered with a bang. Literally. "YUSUKE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Botan screamed at the giant hole he had created.

"HIEI! GET OUT HERE!" Instead, he was greeted by Mukuro herself.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" She snarled out with venom. "This is my home and you just put a massive hole in it."

"Where's Hiei?" He asked eerily calm.

"That is none of your business. I asked what you think you're doing here. I gave you a lot of respect because of Raizen and the things you have done for Demon World, but if you think I'll let this slide -" Not much ever stopped Mukuro's train of thought, but when he turned and stared into her with eyes that burned of utter hatred, she found herself unable to continue. In any second he was going to blow and it wouldn't be good.

"Where. Is. Hiei." He asked again slowly.

Mukuro sighed. "I don't know. He left a few weeks ago."

"And you can't contact him?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Give me one good reason why I should."

Yusuke looked at Botan and then back to Mukuro. "Because I think Yomi killed Kurama." It was easier to put it that way instead of explaining the whole thing.

Mukuro looked momentarily shocked, soon molding into understanding. "I see. I have a way to contact him. If you tell anyone of it, I'll kill you. Or maybe he will." She reached into her shirt and pulled out a tear-stone.

"A hiruseki?" Botan asked. "But that looks like...oh." She shut up and looked away.

"This stone carries Hiei's energy. We found out by accident that when someone touches it while raising their own energy, he can sense it no matter where he is. So..." She grasped it in her hand and it glowed red. "Now we wait."

"How long?" Yusuke asked looking around.

"Depends on where he is. I can't be sure." She paused as she put the stone back. "Are you sure Kurama's dead?"

He sighed. "No. All I know is that there's a good chance he might not come back. And it's all Yomi's fault." Yusuke's eyes went cold. "I can't believe I let him win at the tournament. I should have finished him. I let him walk away and he goes and does this crap? I swear when I get to him I'm gonna kill him!" He slammed his fist into the wall, creating another small hole.

Mukuro rolled her natural eye. "I like renovations as much as the next woman, but could you stop with the windows? It'll get breezy in here."

The air went dead and Yusuke blinked. In a second he was turned around, with a blade in his hand. Botan shrieked as she saw Hiei come out of thin air, his sword aimed at Yusuke's neck. "Jeez, Hiei is this how you're _always_ gonna greet me?" Yusuke spat.

Hiei growled at his former teammate. "What are you doing here?"

"Decorating, what does it look like?" Hiei scoffed at the joke and let down his weapon. "Yomi did something to Kurama." Hiei's eyes went wide at that. "And I need your help to send him to Hell."

* * *

"You do realize that as soon as you enter his territory, he'll hear you?" Mukuro asked blandly after Yusuke explained the situation in his oh, so eloquent way.

_'Yomi sent Kurama to another reality so let's kick his ass!'_ Yeah, something like that.

Hiei snorted in response. "It would be suicide. We have no way to ambush him."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Who said anything about ambushing him? He knows we'll be coming. I say we just go there and raise hell."

"I swear it must be a miracle that you haven't been killed," Mukuro drolled.

"And what makes you think _I_ will be helping?" Hiei added and Yusuke scoffed back at him.

"Please, you and Kurama are BFF's with a serious bromance goin' on. I know you'll help me." He paused. "'Cause if you don't I'll kick _your_ ass."

Mukuro looked at Hiei. "Do I want to know what _BFF_ and _bromance_ means?"

Hiei shrugged. "I don't pay attention to human drivel."

"Lord Mukuro!" a lowly demon burst in and she immediately beheaded him.

Yusuke swore a myriad of things, none of which could be understood. "What the hell was that?!"

"They know better than to come in here without permission," she answered plainly.

Yusuke sputtered as Hiei looked at the body. "He asked for it."

"He was probably coming to warn you about me," said a low controlled voice and all looked up to see the subject of their talk; Yomi.

Yusuke clenched his fists. "What the hell!"

Mukuro growled. "How did you get in here without being detected?"

"Oh, I was detected, just too late for anyone to sound the alarms. I am awful sorry to have killed fifty of your guards."

Hiei swung out his sword and Yomi put a hand up. "Now really, we don't need to resort to that. I am just here to tell you that Kurama is safe and you don't need to worry about his whereabouts."

Yusuke took a step forward, feeling his power surge. "You stuck him in another reality, didn't you?" Yomi shrugged. "I want him back."

Yomi chuckled. "That won't happen unless he finds another Reality of Change in the world he's now in. That is rare in and of itself, but if anyone can do it, it would be Youko."

Yusuke grit his teeth and raised his energy. Hiei took a stance and Mukuro just eyed him. "I could care less about Kurama, but you broke into my fortress. That is not acceptable," she stated and readied herself.

"No love lost about the dead guards, huh?" Yusuke asked and she gave him a look.

"I see we must do this the hard way. Very well. But I have to warn you; I haven't missed one day of training since we last fought," Yomi stated and all got ready.

And he disappeared.

They didn't have time to even gasp as a huge explosion rocked the room they were in. It was like all the walls disappeared and blew outwards into the brush. Yusuke hit a tree and screamed as dozens of energy balls were thrown at him, leveling the dense population of forest around him. "WHAT THE F - "

He slammed into the ground and slid for what seemed like miles, as boulders disintegrated and piled on top of him. He groaned and sat up to see his shirt mysteriously gone and looked up to see Mukuro and Yomi duking it out in mid-air. Hiei reappeared next to him, shirt torn and about gone as well, causing Yusuke to snort. "Why is it the chicks never loose their shirts?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "We need to come up with a strategy. Obviously, his strength has increased greatly."

Yusuke nodded. "I wish we could just get rid of him."

Hiei's eyes went big and then his Jagan glowed. Mukuro blinked and briefly paused, only to have a fist slammed into her jaw. She spit out some blood and went about attacking Yomi the hardest she could. Nothing was held back as she relentlessly pummeled him. She went for his legs and swung him around, slamming him into a mountain. "I see you haven't lost your vigor," he mused, wiping blood from his mouth.

"Hm." She vanished and reappeared, her elbow in his gut, various fluids spewing out of his mouth. Just then she noticed something slip out of his pocket and fall to the ground. She smirked and blinked again.

Hiei smirked in return and disappeared. "What are you doing?!" Yusuke yelled and Mukuro threw Yomi down to him.

"Letting you get a piece."

"Aw, hell yeah!" Yusuke pounded his fists and jumped up, pile driving Yomi further into the dirt, a crater where he once was forming beneath him. "This is for whatever the hell you're trying to do!" _Pound. _"And this is for making us look bad!" _Pound._ "And this is for Kurama!" _Pound. _"AND THIS IS FOR PISSING ME OFF!" _Pound, pound, pound. _

Soon Yomi was lifeless in his living grave.

Hiei reappeared and disappeared as a tiny beep sounded.

Then Yomi vanished.

Yusuke panted and sat back in the crater. "What happened?"

"I used this." Hiei held up the Reality of Change. "I sent him to a place where he can never come back. A place that does not have any items like this. A place where he will be completely powerless."

"Oh, you knocked it out of his pocket, Mukuro?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, he gave it to me." Yusuke wiped sweat from his brow.

"I knew I'd be the only one fast enough to activate it and touch it to him without it taking me," Hiei explained.

Yusuke nodded. "Wait, you two know about this thing?" They looked at each other. "AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!" They said nothing. "UGH!" he fell backwards in Yomi's pit. "Oh, well..." he sighed. "I wonder where it sent him...?"

* * *

He woke up covered in what felt like a fabric of some kind. He groaned and sat up then he opened his eyes and gasped.

He could see.

He was in what appeared to be a hospital room, several beeping machines surrounding him. He ached everywhere, sharp pains passing through him and he immediately laid back down.

The door opened and a human walked in - a human! "I see you're awake. How do you feel?" she asked.

"Where am I? I demand to know," his voice was hoarse and so unlike him.

"Relax, mister. Some good Samaritans found you in an alley, and you were beaten up pretty badly. You were taken to Mercy Hospital and we are currently taking care of your wounds, which are pretty severe. Several broken ribs, a broken leg that will need surgery and possibly head trauma, though I am glad to see you're awake."

"Why am I in a human hospital?!" he yelled. "I don't belong here! Release me!"

She blinked. "Okay..." she walked out and he growled. There was a side table next to him and he reached for the shiny thing that lay on it. It was a mirror. He looked into it and gasped.

His face...it was old and worn with massive amounts of hair on it. His ears were all missing except two small ones that looked human themselves! The hair on his head was matted and frayed, his eyes bloodshot and sunken in. But the truly disturbing thing about it all was...it all seemed much more...real. He couldn't explain it. It appeared...more dimensional than his world. More visceral. More...real.

"What...where am I?! What kind of place is this?! DAMN YOU!"

The nurse outside shook her head. "Poor guy. Homeless and beaten up behind a dumpster..."

**~To Be Continued**

* * *

**A/N: Yomi was actually sent to "our" world.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: We don't own YYH or the characters

**A/N: Hey, this is Firestorm1991 here. Sorry this took forever to get this out. Between RL issues, school and graduation, and knee surgery stuff, I've been just a tad busy. :3 Anyways, I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait. Enjoy!**

* * *

Confessions in Ice

Chapter Three

It had taken a few weeks in this new world, but he had found it. Currently, Kurama was hiding outside of a fortress. He had spent the weeks listening to the rumors, hiding by cloak cover. No one would have given him the information he desired. He was a criminal here. This was not the world he knew at all.

Now, he was staring at the traps and guards outside of a building that looked similar to a human prison. Getting in and out would be easy, but Kurama would have rather not dealt with the guards. He already had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was going to happen, but he ignored his instincts, a first for the fox, knowing he had to risk everything just to get out of this hell and back to his home.

He had to keep his cool and not worry himself with the possibilities of not getting back. He _had _to get back. This was not his world, and even though he would have been evil, he had to focus on returning to his mother, the one that prevented him from going down this road. He buried his emotions deep down inside of him, and they would remain there until he would fulfill his mission. He was going home.

He rounded the fortress finding that his best option was going over the wall in the back. The two guards in the front either wouldn't sense him, or if there were any silent alarms, they would have a long way to travel to reach him. Using his powers on the plants surrounding him, he managed to get to the top of the wall. He used the vines to scale the wall landing in the courtyard.

It was dark and foggy on the behind the walls. It resembled graveyards in horror movies thickened with dead trees and debris. If Kurama hadn't been a hardened demon, he would have felt fear, but he didn't. All he felt in the moment was a mixture of anger and calm. He was internally raging at Yomi, but he kept his calm. He would have time to ponder those thoughts later.

Getting inside the fortress was easy, too easy. Kurama sensed no guards on alert, no traps activated, no alarms went off…nothing in this heavily protected. For an item so dangerous and rare, there had to be a catch. Hopefully the former thief would figure it out before gaining an injury. Either way, he had no doubt that he would be able to get to the Reality of Change, use it, and get back home.

The hallways of the building were eerily quiet with candles lighting the room. The carpet was blood red and the walls were pale white. The hallway itself was leading him directly to a room at the end of the candlelit hall. _This is still too easy_, Kurama warned himself again, his tail fur standing on edge.

He shook his head as he entered the room. Again, no guards, no traps activated, nothing but the mirror sitting on a table. The former thief looked around and found a shard of plastic lying around other shards. He picked one up and estimated its weight before looking at the Reality of Change. This shard would do nicely.

Kurama easily slipped the shard into the mirror's position. When he had the Reality of Change in hand, he felt relief. He could go home now, or so he thought. He attempted to activate it, but nothing happened. He didn't understand it until he felt the energy in the room. How had he missed that? The shards were emanating some type of spirit energy. Maybe it was blocking the abilities of the Reality of Change. He needed to get out of the room.

As he dashed from the room, he saw more of these shards randomly in the halls. Was he seriously not paying attention, or was the lighting just too dark? It did seem brighter now. He stopped and tensed when he realized this.

"A trap," he muttered out loud. "And I walked right into it."

"That you did," a voice came followed by a deep chuckle. "Youko Kurama…did you honestly think no one would catch you. We knew it was you snooping around."

Kurama mentally cursed himself having been so careless. Things were different in this world and everyone was out to get him, or he was out to get everyone. He didn't know. This world was just wrong for him. Yomi was wrong. He couldn't be this person, could he?

"You should know better than to corner a fox," Kurama stated one of his signature lines while trying to keep his cool. "I am in no mood for this."

"I'm sure," the demon replied from the darkness. "It's demons like you that I can't stand. You steal for yourself and then slaughter everyone else…your own kind, your team. Well, you won't be leaving here alive. I'll make sure of it."

* * *

Back in the dimension Yomi had left, Yusuke stared at the spot where Yomi had been. "Seriously, Hiei," he said, "where did you send him?"

"It doesn't matter," Hiei replied. "All that matters is that he isn't coming back. There's nothing else we can do about Kurama. You might as well return to your precious Human World."

"What?" Yusuke said in shock. "You're seriously just going to let him stay in some other world? You said you knew about this thing. Can't you do something?"

Hiei shrugged, though he knew he couldn't help. Most demons knew about the Reality of Change. All it could do was transport someone into another reality. The new world would be based on the desires of the one who activated it. Wherever Yomi sent Kurama, he knew Kurama would get back somehow. Yomi seemed certain of it too from his words and thoughts. He was just sending Kurama a message. What the message was, Hiei could only guess at, especially with the enemy now gone from his view.

"There is nothing any of us can do," Mukuro spoke up. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get to fixing these damn windows you made. Hiei, escort your teammate out of here."

Hiei walked over to Yusuke, but Yusuke held up his hands. "Don't worry; I'm gone. I guess I'll go visit my dad's kingdom before I leave. I'll let you know if Kurama turns up at all."

"No need," Hiei stated, his Jagan flashing under his headband. "I'll know."

"Right." As if Yusuke needed a reminder to the weirdness that was his life. "Hope to see you soon, Hiei."

Hiei nodded. He hoped that too. Both fighters knew that if Hiei showed up in Human World, it would be for Kurama's return, or if he missed Yukina enough to go check on her. Hopefully Kurama's return would come first. Hiei was already missing his sister.

* * *

Kurama's rose whip managed to defend him from his attacker. He killed him instantly, cutting the demon in half. The demon lied dead in front of Kurama and then he saw it, the look of terror in his dark eyes. It made Kurama think of the panicked look of his killed men. He was starting to lose his composure. Nothing was worse than seeing your friends dead in front of you. He learned that the hard way with Yusuke. Now, here, it was by his hand…or not really. When he got back to his reality, he would make Yomi pay. He didn't care if they were once friends. This was a new low.

Kurama gasped as the thought went through his head. He had tried to have Yomi killed before, which failed. He really did have darkness in his heart for the thought to enter his mind again. The fox demon wasn't thinking like the humans he had chosen to stay with; he was thinking like the demon from this world.

"I would have become this," he whispered to himself. Looking to the mirror, he wondered if he deserved to return to his world or if he deserved to pay for these crimes, especially when he just killed someone who was trying to protect other demons. He was a criminal here. He just murdered an innocent in cold blood.

"No," he said to himself again. He shook the thoughts away. He knew he just needed to get out of there and get home. Once he was there, he could return to his mundane life with his mother, step-father, and step-brother. Once he was free of this world, he could continue his life as Shuichi Minamino, the life he had never wanted to be ripped away from by demon activities again.

He continued to run up the hallway and searched for the door he entered from the back of the building. Unfortunately, he couldn't find it. Kurama stopped at the wall where the door had been. Maybe that had been part of the trap too. He felt up the wall, but there was no door. That meant only one thing. He needed to exit through the heavily guarded front door.

Kurama secured the Reality of Change in a pocket on the inside of his clothes and readied his rose whip. It was going to be a challenge, and he was severely outnumbered, but he needed to get out. No matter what injuries he sustained from this, getting home was the most important thing. Besides, whatever injuries he did take on, they couldn't follow him.

* * *

"Here," Yusuke growled as he flung the Reality of Change at Koenma.

"Gah!" Koenma exclaimed as he moved to catch it. "Yusuke, be careful with this! It's a rare artifact!"

"Who gives a crap?" Yusuke retorted as he crossed his arms. "It's caused nothing but trouble from what I've seen. I don't care if it's like some Reformation-ssance painting or whatever. If it causes problems for my friends, I'm done with it. That piece of junk would be better destroyed."

Koenma sighed and didn't even touch on Yusuke's remark about "Renaissance" art. "It's not that simple, Yusuke."

"Yeah, yeah," the former detective said bitterly. "It never is. That's how this crap happens. Why have these artifacts or even guard them when they cause nothing but trouble? Trained thieves can obviously get their hands on it. Do you not remember my first case?"

Koenma let out another sigh. Yusuke had a point there, which was always a red flag. If Yusuke could logically make a case, however crass it was, then something needed to be done. "We'll figure this out, Yusuke," Koenma said. "Anyway, what happened to Yomi?"

The former detective shrugged. "I don't know exactly," he stated. "Hiei sent him to a place with no demons or magic and stuff, so he'll be trapped there with no power. Meanwhile, we still have a missing friend who may or may not be trapped wherever. What the hell do you expect me to tell his family?"

Yusuke shouted his question and the words were left hanging between the two in the room. Koenma swallowed nervously and then said, "Give it a few days. If Kurama isn't back then, then you can tell his family whatever you come up with to explain his absence."

"Yeah, whatever," Yusuke muttered. "I'm so done with this crap. Even if I'm not a spirit detective anymore, I still count Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, and hell, even Botan as my team. If you EVER do anything that threatens their safety again, I will figure out a way to kill a demi-god."

Yusuke walked out without letting Koenma getting another word in. The prince gulped nervously as he watched him leave. Sometimes he forgot Yusuke was half Mazoku.

* * *

Kurama made it outside in the midst of all the guards and was fighting all of their swords and spears with his whip. He was starting to get exhausted. At first, the initial two guards were all he had to deal with, but then eight more jumped him. He managed to kill the two before the eight bombarded him, but now he was losing energy and he was losing it quickly. He could only dodge so many of their weapons, and he had many cuts as it was. They were nothing but flesh wounds, but Kurama felt his vision getting blurry.

He couldn't kill anymore, and maintaining his rose whip was taking too much energy. Escape was his only option, but he couldn't get around the eight guards. Then he noticed it. There was a branch outstretched above him. If he could only use the rose whip and pull himself over the guards, he could get out of there and leave behind whatever those weapons did to him to make his vision flash in and out.

Well, he didn't have any other option. He had never been one to run from confrontation, but this time he needed to. Using his whip and whatever strength he had left, he managed to wrap it around the tree branch and leap over the guards and then running away as they threw spears at him. They all missed save one that only grazed his shoulder.

One of the swordsman was about to chase him, but was held back by another. "Don't worry," the gruff voice said. "The joke is on Youko Kurama. No matter where he goes now, that poison in him will follow. That is the greatest defense for the Reality of Change. Whichever reality he goes to that poison will kill him as soon as he gets there."

* * *

Kurama made it to the edge of the forest and felt relief that no one was following him. He was already breathing heavily enough, dropping to his knees and gripping his head. What was going on with him now, and what was on those weapons? He knew it had to be poison as his body was increasing in temperature and his vision was getting worse. He needed to use the Reality of Change now.

He took the small mirror from his vest and looked into it. He even looked terrible, but hopefully not for long. Kurama focused what was left of his energy to activate the Reality of Change thinking of only one word in particular.

_Home._

And then in a flash of light, he was gone from that reality.

* * *

Back in the reality Yomi had sent Kurama away from, it was turning to night. Yusuke had already been by Genkai's to let her know about everything. He had actually made good time with his day. He had talked to Hokushin about the situation with Yomi being gone now, gotten the Reality of Change to Koenma, told Genkai to keep a lookout for their friend, and then returned home to get berated by Keiko for blowing her off and to find his mom drinking while watching some sport on television.

At Genkai's, however, it was quiet. The wind blew calmly and the sun peaked through the orange and pink clouds. Yukina was outside watering some herbs for Genkai and paused in her task to look up at the sunset sky. In Demon World, she never saw such wonders. The sky was always the same and in the ice world, you were lucky if you could see a sky through the snow. She definitely loved the changing environment of the Human World. Sunrises and sunsets were her favorite times of the day. It felt like it was going to be a clear and peaceful night without any storms. That was always good. If there was one thing Yukina didn't like about the changes, it was the storms, but only because it reminded her of the snowstorms from her home. She knew, though, that not everything could be peaceful.

She decided to go for a short walk before dark and left her watering pot by the herb garden. Yukina knew not to go into Genkai's forest, but to stay close to the edge. Going in alone would be dangerous as the forest was filled with many demons. Yukina was sure they'd be nice to her, though, with her naïve innocence. At times, she would enter only a short distance and leave food for the demons. Seeing as she hadn't been attacked, she assumed she was correct. Either way, she was not afraid to enter the forest. For some reason, today, she felt a little nervous upon entering.

It was strange to her, having become used to going in on her own. She had just felt so calm moments before, but as she entered, that peace was leaving her and panic arose. Yukina felt compelled to go deeper than usual, and she had no idea why.

She dodged some tree branches and tried to make sure she knew her way back. When looking back, she yelped slightly having tripped over something. After regaining her bearings, she looked down and found that the "something" had been a "someone."

"K-Kurama?" she questioned, concern lacing her voice.

Kurama looked up at her in his weakened state. His hair was once again red and he chuckled. Looking to Yukina with his hazy green eyes, he only muttered one word, "home," before passing out.

Yukina gasped and attempted to help him up. He felt unbelievably hot with fever and was sweating a great deal, making it harder to grip him. But Yukina was a determined ice maiden, and she didn't care if his elevated heat made her feel hot too. She needed to get Kurama back to the temple and get help. With that, she found the strength inside to help the unconscious demon out of the forest and into the temple. She knew that Genkai would know what to do.

**~To Be Continued**

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**Closing A/N: Well, there you have it. I hope it was enough after the long wait, and yay, plot progression. Anyways, let us know how you liked it. Stormie out!**


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